Revolution in Nepal: Social Media Ban Sparks Youth Uprising

On September 10, young people in Nepal began to clean the capital of the traces of the previous days' protests. And the previous days had been heated. More than 20 people were killed, dozens of buildings were set on fire, mostly government structures.

On September 9, most of Nepal's high-ranking officials, including the prime minister, resigned. However, that did not stop the protesters. The situation calmed down only after the intervention of the army, which took control of the situation after a series of resignations.

The situation in Nepal escalated on September 4, when the government of Prime Minister Sharma Oli made a fateful decision: it ordered internet providers to block access to 26 of the world's most popular social media and communication platforms.

Among them were Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and WhatsApp. The reason presented by the government was regulatory in nature. They claimed that these international technology companies had not registered with Nepal's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology under new, strict laws. The official position was that this was a necessary step to combat the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and "content directed against national sovereignty."

From September 9, the Nepalese army was involved to ensure the security of key infrastructure and prevent further anarchy. A strict curfew was imposed in Kathmandu and other major cities.

On September 10, the air in Nepal was largely cleared of smoke, and the streets were free of protesters. However, it has not yet been calculated what damages the clashes, which lasted for about a week, caused to the country. The political future of Nepal is also not yet clear.

This move was almost unanimously viewed as a blatant and crude attempt to suppress dissent and control the flow of information. What began as online condemnation (using VPNs to bypass the ban) quickly spilled into the streets. On September 8, the movement grew into mass protests led by young people. The protests were notable for their decentralized, largely leaderless nature.

They were organized spontaneously through secure messaging apps and word of mouth, following the example of similar youth movements. The turning point occurred on September 8 in Kathmandu. When tens of thousands of protesters moved towards the parliament building, they were met by security forces who used tear gas, rubber bullets, and, tragically, live ammunition. The day ended with at least 19 confirmed deaths and hundreds of injured protesters.

Enraged by the killings, the protesters regrouped. In a desperate attempt to quell the unrest, the authorities lifted the social media ban. But the protesters did not stop. They broke through security barriers, stormed the parliament complex, and set fire to parts of the building. The residences of Prime Minister Oli and President Ram Chandra Paudel were also set on fire, as were other symbols of state power.

The government had completely lost control. The violence it had used to suppress the protests only further delegitimized the responsive violence. In the face of a clear disaster, a series of resignations began.

On the night of September 8, the Minister of Internal Affairs resigned. On September 9, the Prime Minister announced his resignation, and his government was officially dissolved. But even that did not immediately calm the protesters. Protests continued in various places in the form of building arsons and public reckonings with various officials in the form of beatings and mockery.